Americans need less trans fat, more elbow grease, please!

Steve Hodges

Published: Thursday, June 27, 2013 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at 1:52 p.m.

Friday marked the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and the first day of summer. At the risk of sounding like a cantankerous codger in his dotage, I absolutely hate this time of year. In our part of the world, it eats into my two favorite seasons, spring and fall, as we always seem to go directly from a few weeks of gorgeous spring weather to sweltering temperatures, which in turn extends into late September and even October, the "myth" of global warming notwithstanding.

More than the unbearable temperatures and high humidity, what really pushes my buttons is the sight in summer of people who should know better dressing like they don't, which is to say that as the temperatures rise, clothing becomes skimpier and ill-chosen. The majority of people in this country look less like Gisele Bündchen in a bikini than Shamu in a thong. (Admittedly, I'm no Tom Brady in a Speedo, either.) Fat isn't pretty and the sight of undulating rolls of fat covered in tattoos and body piercings cascading over a pair of much-too-tight shorts can scar impressionable minds. Maybe the Taliban are onto something with that dress code of theirs.

Let's face it: This country has a real problem with obesity, so much so that the American Medical Association recently declared it a disease, although there was not universal consensus on that as some doctors believe that although there are health risks associated with being overweight, that is not the same thing as an illness. Then again, physicians were pitching cigarettes in ads well into the 1960s.

To my mind this is a fairly recent phenomenon. When I was growing up, I might have known a couple of children who were slightly overweight, but I don't recall anyone being grossly obese. While we may not have been as conscious of eating healthy as we are today (who reading this remembers the grease-laden repast that passed for lunch at the old junior high on State Street?) we undoubtedly counteracted that with more exercise as the youths of today seem to prefer playing virtual football on a game console rather than actually going outside and tossing the pigskin. Incredibly, amid an obesity epidemic, only five states now require physical education classes in grades K-12.

Despite a wider awareness of eating healthier, the obesity rates in this country have spiked dramatically over the past decade. It's almost as though as the number of drive-through windows have increased at fast food restaurants (God forbid anyone should get out of their car to walk inside a restaurant to place their order), the nation's collective waistband has grown exponentially.

Knowing that one should eat healthy is one thing, but putting it into practice quite another as is seen by the diners who think that if they eat at Subway on a regular basis, they can eventually look like Subway Guy Jared Fogle, but order foot-long sandwiches loaded with condiments and a couple of chocolate chip cookies for good measure, which completely negates any possible good. Another great example of this twisted logic is the folks who frequent all-you-can-eat salad bars and pile their plates high with every possible choice available on the buffet and then smothering it in bleu cheese dressing. A Big Mac, sans fries, would be a healthier choice.

Obviously, there have been a great many changes to our lifestyles over the past several decades, both in the workplace and at home. In the local transition from a manufacturing economy to whatever we're becoming, workers are pushing pencils and clicking mice rather than pushing shop carts and traipsing through dusty factories, thus burning fewer calories. At home after a busy day of posting on Facebook when the boss isn't looking in between downloading spreadsheets at the office, there's no longer the need to exert any extra energy to prepare a healthy meal when you can phone Papa John's and curl up on the sofa to enjoy an "Ice Road Truckers" marathon.

Predictably, efforts by some such as First Lady Michelle Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to encourage more exercise and better eating habits have come under fire by the lunatic right wing fringe who insist that this is yet another intrusion of Big Brother wanting to tell us what we can and can't ingest in our bodies. It should be obvious that not all of us are capable of making good lifestyle choices and could use some encouragement to make a few changes that would enable us to live happier, healthier and, hopefully, longer and more productive lives. Regardless of what the free-range libertarians say, this is a societal problem that affects each and every one of us.

I'm certainly no Jack LaLanne, but all of us could vow to eat a little lighter and exercise a little more — even if it is just walking a few extra yards from across the street to the post office rather than waiting 30 minutes for a parking space to open up right at the door (you know who you are).

For the curious among you, Steve Hodges is pleased to say that after four months of trying to resolve the issue of his telephone equipment lease with the local telecommunications company, the equipment is now his to keep, after a spate of phone calls and emails, which culminated in his contacting the North Carolina Attorney General's office and sending a registered letter to the CEO of Breezebrook. Ironically, their competition, who had badgered him for weeks on end with phone calls, emails and printed promotions about switching his phone and Internet service to them, will not return his calls. What does it take to receive good service in this country?

<p>Friday marked the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and the first day of summer. At the risk of sounding like a cantankerous codger in his dotage, I absolutely hate this time of year. In our part of the world, it eats into my two favorite seasons, spring and fall, as we always seem to go directly from a few weeks of gorgeous spring weather to sweltering temperatures, which in turn extends into late September and even October, the "myth" of global warming notwithstanding.</p><p>More than the unbearable temperatures and high humidity, what really pushes my buttons is the sight in summer of people who should know better dressing like they don't, which is to say that as the temperatures rise, clothing becomes skimpier and ill-chosen. The majority of people in this country look less like Gisele Bündchen in a bikini than Shamu in a thong. (Admittedly, I'm no Tom Brady in a Speedo, either.) Fat isn't pretty and the sight of undulating rolls of fat covered in tattoos and body piercings cascading over a pair of much-too-tight shorts can scar impressionable minds. Maybe the Taliban are onto something with that dress code of theirs.</p><p>Let's face it: This country has a real problem with obesity, so much so that the American Medical Association recently declared it a disease, although there was not universal consensus on that as some doctors believe that although there are health risks associated with being overweight, that is not the same thing as an illness. Then again, physicians were pitching cigarettes in ads well into the 1960s.</p><p>To my mind this is a fairly recent phenomenon. When I was growing up, I might have known a couple of children who were slightly overweight, but I don't recall anyone being grossly obese. While we may not have been as conscious of eating healthy as we are today (who reading this remembers the grease-laden repast that passed for lunch at the old junior high on State Street?) we undoubtedly counteracted that with more exercise as the youths of today seem to prefer playing virtual football on a game console rather than actually going outside and tossing the pigskin. Incredibly, amid an obesity epidemic, only five states now require physical education classes in grades K-12.</p><p>Despite a wider awareness of eating healthier, the obesity rates in this country have spiked dramatically over the past decade. It's almost as though as the number of drive-through windows have increased at fast food restaurants (God forbid anyone should get out of their car to walk inside a restaurant to place their order), the nation's collective waistband has grown exponentially.</p><p>Knowing that one should eat healthy is one thing, but putting it into practice quite another as is seen by the diners who think that if they eat at Subway on a regular basis, they can eventually look like Subway Guy Jared Fogle, but order foot-long sandwiches loaded with condiments and a couple of chocolate chip cookies for good measure, which completely negates any possible good. Another great example of this twisted logic is the folks who frequent all-you-can-eat salad bars and pile their plates high with every possible choice available on the buffet and then smothering it in bleu cheese dressing. A Big Mac, sans fries, would be a healthier choice.</p><p>Obviously, there have been a great many changes to our lifestyles over the past several decades, both in the workplace and at home. In the local transition from a manufacturing economy to whatever we're becoming, workers are pushing pencils and clicking mice rather than pushing shop carts and traipsing through dusty factories, thus burning fewer calories. At home after a busy day of posting on Facebook when the boss isn't looking in between downloading spreadsheets at the office, there's no longer the need to exert any extra energy to prepare a healthy meal when you can phone Papa John's and curl up on the sofa to enjoy an "Ice Road Truckers" marathon.</p><p>Predictably, efforts by some such as First Lady Michelle Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to encourage more exercise and better eating habits have come under fire by the lunatic right wing fringe who insist that this is yet another intrusion of Big Brother wanting to tell us what we can and can't ingest in our bodies. It should be obvious that not all of us are capable of making good lifestyle choices and could use some encouragement to make a few changes that would enable us to live happier, healthier and, hopefully, longer and more productive lives. Regardless of what the free-range libertarians say, this is a societal problem that affects each and every one of us.</p><p>I'm certainly no Jack LaLanne, but all of us could vow to eat a little lighter and exercise a little more — even if it is just walking a few extra yards from across the street to the post office rather than waiting 30 minutes for a parking space to open up right at the door (you know who you are).</p><p>For the curious among you, Steve Hodges is pleased to say that after four months of trying to resolve the issue of his telephone equipment lease with the local telecommunications company, the equipment is now his to keep, after a spate of phone calls and emails, which culminated in his contacting the North Carolina Attorney General's office and sending a registered letter to the CEO of Breezebrook. Ironically, their competition, who had badgered him for weeks on end with phone calls, emails and printed promotions about switching his phone and Internet service to them, will not return his calls. What does it take to receive good service in this country?</p>